Shameful Secrets
by Scarlet Huntress
Summary: Gray has a secret...he's a ballet dancer. And he doesn't want anyone to know about it. But what if his friends suddenly come to the next performance? Will his friends judge him or stand by his decision? What will Natsu think? Warning, Yaoi! Don't like, don't read!
1. Chapter 1

Hey Minna! New fic here! I've been listening to a lot of Swan Lake lately, and this idea just came to me! Oh and by the way, this fic is super AU. Ages and places and all.

Anyway, Disclaimer! I do NOT own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Master Hiro Mashima! Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

"Come on! One more time and plie…. and releve… and pirouette and bring it into fifth. Ok that's fine. You can all go home now everyone! Except you Gray, can I speak to you for a moment?" Every dancer quickly made their way to their designated changing rooms, whereas I trudged to my ballet director, Alistair Goodwick. I've been here since six in the morning and it was noon now. My feet were throbbing and my calves were killing me. I just wanted to put my shoes away and go home and take a shower. I hoped that whatever Alistair had to tell me was going to be quick.

"Yes sir?" I replied.

"I need you to come in tomorrow morning for some final choreography for Swan Lake, okay? I know our premiere is in two days, but I know you are capable of mastering the steps I have for you. Okay?" I nodded. He gave me an arrogant smile and shooed me off, putting his hands a little too close to my butt for my comfort. I walked to the men's locker room and opened my locker. I undid my shoes and delicately put them in my bag and then I began to strip from my tights, leaving my white t shirt on. Some of the guys stared at me, but I ignored them. I was too tired to care anymore. I pulled on my most comfortable sweatpants and tugged on my jacket. I then pulled on my socks and shoes and headed for the door.

"Oi, Gray! What'd Alistair want?" I looked over to the source of the voice and saw Hibiki staring at me. He gave a dashing smile as he pulled on his own pair of sweatpants, giving me his full attention.

"Just saying he wants me to come in the morning tomorrow for some final choreography changes. No big deal." I shrugged my shoulders, reaching for the door knob.

"Oh wow, I thought we had the day off tomorrow. That really sucks," Eve Tearm jumped in. I sighed and turned around, knowing I'm not going to be able to leave yet, no matter how much my bed was calling me.

"Well Gray is the best dancer. No one said being the best was easy," Hibiki replied, shouldering his bag. I looked at him tiredly.

"Are you guys going to talk all day, or can I go home?" I asked, hand reaching for the knob behind me.

"Well sure, no one's stopping you-"I didn't hear the last part for I was already out the door, the frigid winter air hitting me like a wall of bricks. But it was the best feeling I've ever had. I walked along the sidewalk, snowflakes starting to fall on the snow-covered ground. I looked around the city of Magnolia and sighed in relief as I walked away from the Blue Pegasus Ballet Studio. I looked around warily, checking if anyone I knew saw me walking out of the building….. Nope, didn't see anyone, but I didn't let my guard down until I was half way home.

I was walking through the park when I heard an overly ecstatic voice shout, "Yo Gray! Over here!" I glanced over to the person and saw Natsu and Lucy waving me over under a leafless tree. I waved back and slowly walked over to them.

"Yo, where've you been all morning? I thought you weren't a morning person?" my pink haired friend commented, grinning widely.

"We've been calling you. There's a party tonight at Mirajane's place. Haven't you looked at your phone yet?" Lucy asked. I shook my head, hair sticking to my face.

"I left the gym about ten minutes ago. " It wasn't a complete lie. "I was going to check my phone when I got home before getting some shut eye."

"Oh, I'm sorry. We'll let you go then. But just so you know, be at Mira's at eight and don't be late. Wear something semi formal and be prepared for food. Mira started taking a new cooking class with Erza and she wants everyone to try everything they made for the past week. So come with an empty belly too," Lucy informed me, grabbing a reluctant Natsu by the arm and dragging him away. I stared after them for a few seconds before proceeding home. The snow was now becoming heavier, sticking to my eyelashes, making it hard to see. But I didn't mind. In fact I felt refreshed as the wind began to pick up, blowing the snow in my face.

When I got to my apartment, I was frozen to the bone and wet. And I've never felt better. I passed through my living room to my bathroom and turned on the water and stripped down quickly. Once the water heated up slightly, I stepped in and washed myself of all the sweat and water from the snow. When I finished, I dried off and went out to my room naked, grabbed a pair of boxers and snuggled under the covers of my navy bed, forgetting everything, including my dread of the food I was most likely going to be forced to eat at the party tonight and the amount of exercise I was going to have to do in order to work it off.

…..

Meanwhile

"Shit, wind's starting to pick up," I said a few minutes later. Lucy nodded next to me, pulling her hood over her head, tucking in her blonde pigtails.

"Let's go into a coffee shop and get some hot chocolate, my treat," she said quickly when I gave her a pleading look. We walked a few more minutes before we saw a Starbucks. Once in there, Lucy paid for the hot chocolate and we sat down, stripping from our winter wear. I sighed and took a sip from my beverage.

"So, how are you and Loke?" I asked a few minutes later. She shrugged.

"Fine, he's all unpacked, and settled into my apartment."

"Do you guys share a bed?" I asked, grinning mischievously. She only kicked my shin under the table and glared at me as she took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"HOT!" she exclaimed. I laughed at that.

"Wuss," I said. She kicked me again, making me grimace this time.

"Is he coming tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, albeit reluctantly. He's convinced that Erza is a bad cook and she's going to force feed him terrible food that will make him as sick as you when on transportation." I rolled my eyes.

"I guess we'll just have to find out," I replied, taking another sip.

"What about you? Got any lovers?" she asked, giving _me_ a mischievous look. I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up Lucy. Don't tease me about my love life when it took you three years to get together with Loke." She shot out her leg again, but I dodged it quickly and took another drink.

"See, it's that type of behavior that made Loke reluctant to ask you out."

"Can we please move on to a different topic!" I chuckled, but didn't press further.

A ding came from the front door. I looked past Lucy and saw a familiar scarlet haired woman wander in to the counter. When she finished ordering, I waved over to her to get her attention. Spotting me, she waited for her drink before sauntering over to us.

"Hey Erza, what's up." Surprised, Lucy turned around and saw the scarlet beauty pull up a chair next to her.

"Just finished the morning shift. I came here to grab to coffee before going to Mira's to prepare for the party tonight," she replied taking a sip of her steaming cup.

"Will Jellal be there?" Lucy asked. Erza nodded her head.

"And I assume Loke will be too?" she asked. Lucy nodded her head nervously.

"Good. Did you find Gray and tell him about the party?" I nodded.

"Good, well then I should take my leave. Like I said, I have some planning to do with Mira. Remember, eight o'clock, don't be late. And make sure you get Gray. He's been doing a lot of sleeping and forgetting lately. Yesterday he slept all the way to three in the afternoon and forgot to meet up with Mira about a match up. Oh." The realization came at her. "Never mind, I don't think he forgot, but still, someone go check up on him. Something's up with him."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Well it looks like he's been getting a lot less sleep and is growing a lot more stressed. And he's looking a bit skinnier than usual. I don't know, it might be nothing, but just be on the lookout." I nodded and so did Lucy as Erza stood up and left the store. I raised my eyebrows at Lucy, but she just shrugged and took another sip.

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It's a little slow in this chappy, but things will get moving next chapter, I promise. Honestly, I was actually a little nervous to put this up! I hope it was good! So review, like and if there's anything I can do better, do tell! I hope you enjoyed this new fic! Until next chapter! Scarlet out!


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! Next chapter! It's a little slow so bear with me! But hopefully it's humoring!

Anyway, DISCLAIMER! I don't own Fairy Tail! All rights go to Master Hiro Mashima! I only own the plot! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

I woke up to a knock on my door. I groaned and rolled over, hoping whoever it was would go away. They knocked again, this time not waiting for an answer. Someone opened the door loudly and came bounding over to my bed and shook my body.

"Stop stop STOP DAMMIT!" I yelled, sitting up straight to glare at the intruder. It was Natsu, grinning evilly as he held a plastic cup of iced coffee to my lips. I shoved it away and pulled the covers back over me only to be taken away again completely. I looked back to Natsu, but he was only holding the beverage. I looked at the foot of my bed and saw Lucy holding my navy comforter.

"What do you two want?" I growled.

"Well good morning to you too sunshine. Or should I say good evening. Its seven thirty and you only have a half hour to get ready for the party. I suggest you hurry, or Erza will kill all of us," Lucy responded, shuddering slightly at the thought of Erza and her wrath. That was enough to get me out of bed. I walked over to my closet and looked through the wrinkly clothing. A tap came on my shoulder and I spun around, seeing Lucy holding up an outfit for me. It had a white long sleeved button up with a black sweater over it and a pair of one of my dark jeans. I took the hanger from her and pulled on the outfit.

"How did you two even get in here anyway?" I asked once I was dressed.

"We know where you're spare key is genius. You even showed us," Lucy replied as I made my way to my bathroom to try and tame the black knots that were my hair and washing my face to rid myself of the drool and crust on my eyes. Once I was satisfied, I came back out and took the socks and shoes Lucy was holding for me. Grateful, I pulled them on and looked at her. She turned on her heel and walked out the door, Natsu and me following closely behind her.

"So where's Loke?" I asked once I locked my door. Natsu handed me the cup and I took a tentative sip.

"He'll be meeting us there. We're just here because Erza predicted you would sleep in. And it looks like she was right," she added, smirking. I looked away.

"Not true, I would've woken up without you two."

"Says the guy who looked completely dead with some drool coming out of his mouth like a water fall," Natsu suddenly said. I punched him in the shoulder, but he only laughed.

"At least I don't snore, idiot," I snapped back.

"Asshole."

"Bastard."

"Will you two shut up?" Lucy yelled. "Don't start anything now; we're almost at Mira's." I rolled my eyes, but kept quiet.

When we arrived at the Strauss residence, the house was bright and loud from the company that had already arrived. We walked up the porch steps and let ourselves in.

Just like the outside shown, it was a bustling inside with all the guests. It wasn't big, but all the friends who were there always knew how to party in a rambunctious way. But it oddly felt like home. We made our way through the crowd, greeting everyone until we made it to the two women we had to let know we were here. Mira and Erza were in the kitchen, preparing some final dishes. They smiled when they saw us, quickly covering the food with tinfoil.

"Hey guys, just in time," Mira exclaimed after giving each of us a hug. "We just finished our final dish. Why don't you go into the living room and tell everyone we're ready to serve the food."

"Ok, have you seen Loke?" Lucy asked. Loke then appeared out of nowhere behind her.

"I'm right here, baby," he whispered in her ear, causing her to visibly shiver. I smirked.

"S-stop that," she stuttered, yet she didn't pull away. He smirked.

"If they kiss, I'm gonna puke," Natsu commented, wrinkling his nose. I rolled my eyes.

"GO!" Erza commanded, making us all jumped and scuttle out of the kitchen.

Minutes later, Mira and Erza came out of the kitchen with two carts filled with food. I was expecting something along the lines of dinner, but instead, there was an assortment of sweets, all from cookies to pies to cakes. They were all still steaming hot and ready to be devoured. I looked around the room and saw the awe and desire in each of my friends' expressions. I did my best to mimic them. We all stood in a circle around the two beautiful cooks. They both went around giving everyone a bite of their dishes. I reluctantly ate their food, all being very delicious. After they did their rounds, they set the food in the middle to be devoured by my ravenous friends. I, on the other hand, stood in the back, waiting for someone I could talk to. Loke, I saw, stepped out of the crowd first about twenty minutes later, so I made my way to him.

"Hey, got enough there?" I asked, pointing to his heaping plate. He only grinned.

"Not like I can help it," he responded. "I was expecting something bad from Erza. Don't tell her I said that. But this is all so delicious. What about you? Don't you have a little _less_ than necessary? I thought you were enjoying the food."

"It was good, but I'm stuffed. I ate before I came here," I lied. He shrugged.

"Ok, fair enough. You sure you don't want any?" he asked, waving a cookie in my face, only for it to be taken away by the hand of Lucy. She shoved the treat in her mouth and gave Loke an awkward smile.

"Hey that was my cookie!" Loke pouted. She only giggled.

"What's yours is mine," she said after swallowing. He laughed as he snuggled closer to her to give her a kiss. That's when I left. I looked around and went to the bar to grab a beer. Cana then showed up quickly after me with her own heaping plate and took out several cans of beer. She sat next to me and down her first can in seconds before starting on her treats.

"Hey Cana."

"Hey Gray, what've you been up to?" she asked.

"Oh nothing really, you?" I asked.

"Eh, nothing, hey, you wanna have a drinking contest?" she asked quickly. I gave her a wary look.

"The last time I did that, I ended up in a hotel with Juvia," I replied. She snorted.

"Not _my_ fault. Come on, that was two years ago! And I'm sure you have a better handle on your alcohol now. That was you twenty first birthday and you were just starting to drink. Please, for old time's sake," she pleaded. We had a stare down for a minute before I sighed.

"Fine," I said, grabbing a few more beers. And then I started downing them.

….

I walked over to Loke and Lucy, after they broke from their _very_ long and _very_ passionate kiss. Damn couple took twenty minutes to kiss and I had no one to talk to! I had already eaten three plates of desserts and my stomach was starting to expand. I looked over to Gray and saw he was drinking his senses away with Cana. I rolled my eyes and looked to the couple in annoyance. Loke smiled mischievously at me while Lucy looked at them with a worried look.

"Now that I take a closer look, Gray does look different. He looks tired, like he hasn't slept for days. And his clothes are a little big on him. Even when he was dressing, I didn't see that he looked skinnier. You think something's wrong?" she asked, looking to her orange-haired lover. He shrugged.

"Maybe he's going on a diet or something, I don't know. He's been one to work out a lot, so I guess he took up dieting too. He doesn't always talk about himself really, so I wouldn't know." I gave a nod in agreement. I looked back to Gray, observing him. As a matter of fact, he did look a bit skinnier. His clothes hung a little loosely on him and he had bags under his eyes. But who knows, maybe he didn't get much sleep this week. It's happened to me!

I watched him for about ten minutes as he kept downing one drink after another. It doesn't look like Cana's going to let up anytime soon, so maybe I should put a stop to this. I walked over to him as he was halfway through maybe his twelfth drink. I took his hand and jerked it down. He gave me a dazed look before smiling goofily.

"'Sup Natsu," he slurred, draping his arm over my shoulders. "Wanna join?" He shoved his cup to my face, but I pushed it to the side and lifted his arm over my head. He's getting wasted.

"No, I'd rather not. Come on man, you need to stop. How many drinks have you had?" I asked, hoisting him up. He giggled a little and leaned on me, hooking his arms on my neck.

"I dunnooooo," he whispered, grazing my ear. I rolled my eyes and pulled him off. He's so touchy-feely whenever he's drunk, although sometimes it was pretty funny.

"Come on man, it's late. I'll take you home." I put his arm around his waist and his arm over my shoulder and started dragging him to the front door.

"I claim victory!" Cana shouted/slurred, waving her drink in the air. I turned around and raised an eyebrow at her when she fell backward from the table she was sitting on. I'll never get her.

"You're leaving already?" I heard Mira say. I turned around and she gave me a sad look.

"Yeah, Gray was in a drinking contest with the monster." I tipped my head to the wobbly Cana as she stood up. "And he hasn't gotten much sleep lately. I thought maybe I could take him home." She smiled and came over to give us hugs. Gray hung onto her, but when I tried to pull him off she only laughed and hugged him tightly.

"Take good care of him," she said, as she helped me get him into his coat. I got on my coat and dragged him up, while Mira opened the door for us. I waved my thanks and stepped out into the cold night, Gray leaning on me more and more. I hoisted him onto my back and carried him home.

"Natsuuuuuuu, where're we goin'?" he asked, breathing his booze filled on my neck.

"Home," I replied. He giggled.

"Natsuuuuuu, you smell nice," he slurred, sniffing my hair.

"Thanks Gray," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"No, really. What is that? Cinnamon?" He buried his nose in my hair, breathing in long and hard. I nodded.

"Yeah, I showered at Lucy's before going to your place. Water wasn't working in my apartment." He nodded and placed his head in the crook of my neck and sighed. It was silent the rest of the way home.

When I got to his apartment, I took his key and let myself in. I took the elevator up to the thirteenth floor and walked down a few hallways until we got to his door. I set him down and gave him his keys.

"There you go. Get some sleep," I said turning around and walking away. It wasn't until I rounded the corner did I hear a bump. I turned right back around and saw Gray sprawled on the ground, smiling widely. Rolling my eyes and went back to him and opened the door for him.

"Heeeeeeey you got the door open!" he screamed obnoxiously. I rolled my eyes. I grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

I brought him to his bed and stripped him down to his boxers. I then pushed him down and tucked him in. I started to turn away, but then he grabbed my arm and pulled me down on him, into a hug.

"I love you Natsuuuuuuuuu," he slurred before releasing me and falling immediately to sleep. I rolled my eyes and walked away.

Before I left, I turned back to him and looked him up and down. He was splayed across his bed, blanket only covering his upper half. I looked him up and down before settling on his feet. They looked rather odd. Upon closer inspection, I saw they looked kind of torn up, blistered on the toes and heels. Not to mention they looked chapped on the big toe. That was odd. Then I shrugged. What he does with himself is up to him, but I couldn't help but wonder, what _does_ he do that would make his _feet_ look that way.

* * *

Yeah, I know I said things'll get moving last chapter, but I promise, next chapter will definitely be more interesting! So like, review and if there's anything I can do better, do tell! I want this story to be good! Until next chapter, Scarlet out! Love y'all!

**Review Responses:**

**darkhuntressxir: Yeah it's AU. And I think I was going to make a Natray this time ;)**

**Argon Jaden Siberite Bluridge: It's gonna be interesting! Especially next chapter! I'm already planning things out! XD**

**TheSlayerGirl: things will all be explained in time :) Tehe**

**sktrgrl13: yep another story! I hope it'll be as good as my others! I hope you find this one just as nice and enjoyable! ;D**


	3. Chapter 3

Next chapter! And um, sorry about the waiting. I just came down with something...writers block and laziness! Damn things get in the way of everything! Anyway, I'll hopefully be posting on my other stories real soon, so just bear with it just a little longer!

DISCLAIMER! I don't own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Master Hiro Mashima! I only own the plot! Enjoy!

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Chapter 3

A door banged open, making it feel like a hammer was coming down on my skull. I groaned and rolled away from the footsteps that neared my bed. My blanket was ripped from my grip and I was pushed out of bed. I groaned again.

"GRAY FULLBUSTER!" I was a man's voice. Why did it sound so familiar? Dammit, my head. All my thoughts were foggy. I tried to place the voice but…

"FULLBUSTER!" I snapped my eyes open and regretted it. Light shined on me, blinding me for a second. My head pounded from the offending brightness and I turned away…..only to be dragged to the middle of the floor. My bare back screeched against the cold wood, making me to writhe around.

"Fullbuster, wake up dammit! It's noon already!" I only groaned keeping my eyes closed.

I heard a sigh and some shuffling. And before I knew it, coldness hit me in the face; I was drenched in water. I sat up quickly, a little dizzy, but more or less awake. I glared around the room until I saw a familiar figure standing above me. Alistair.

He, too, was glaring. He reached down and took my arm and pulled me up. I swayed a little from the suddenness.

"Hell what's wrong!" he yelled. I groan again.

"I think I drank too much," I mumbled, holding my head.

Alistair's glare darkened. "You know you're not supposed to drink," he growled, a dark aura forming around him.

"Eh?" I responded.

"You gain weight by doing that, you idiot! You're already starting to look bigger! Dammit, don't you ever watch yourself? Are you even good enough for the performance?" I looked down. I guess I did get too carried away, especially with all the sweets.

"I'll be fine for the performance. Just give me some time to work off the alcohol and the weight. I'll be gone in no time," I told him, now looking him in the eye. His anger started to recede.

"Very well. Come to the studio at six tonight," he said, turning his back toward me. I nodded and he walked out. I heard the door to my apartment open and close. Offhandedly I wondered how he entered in the first place, but then shrugged it off. There are a lot of mysterious things about Alistair.

I went to the kitchen and got a glass of water to help with the hangover then went into my closet and grabbed some running clothes. Taking my iPod with me, I went out of my apartment and took a longer than normal jog.

Four hours of jogging. Yeah, I know it's a lot, but had to work off the weight. Every time I see myself in the mirror, I don't see the dancer I'm supposed to be. I always see something I need to work off. Normally I do a two hour jog. But today was different. Tomorrow's the performance and I had too many things to eat yesterday.

Once I got home, I drank a ton of water and showered. It was about five once I finished. I started to feel lightheaded, so I decided to eat some of a protein bar. More like half of one. With nothing better to do, I straightened up my already clean apartment. I sighed and pack my bag with my tights, shoes and water bottle. I threw on a random white shirt and sweatpants along with my winter wear since I tend to walk around in just my boxers (sometimes not even) and headed to the studio.

The ten minute walk was silent as I walked into the empty building. The locker room was locked so I just went into the dance studio and set my bag down in front of the mirror.

"Alistair?" I called out. All was silent in the studio. Eh, he might be in his office. I look up to the dark window that over looked the floor. I waved my arms just in case and started my warm ups.

After ten minutes, Alistair still wasn't there. All ready to go, I went to look for him. I walked over to the hidden door that had a spiral staircase that would lead me to the office. Once up there, I knocked. No answer so I opened it. It was vacant of him. That's odd. I went over to the desk. There were two pieces of paper on it with my name on it. Ok then.

Gray,

An emergency came up at the theatre we're going to perform at. The other paper has the steps I want you to learn written on it. It's the pas de deux with the black swan. I've already worked with Mia earlier in the duet. I've changed some steps and this is how I want it done. Master them before eight. Mia will come with me then to work together.

See you soon,

Alistair

I took the other paper and scanned the steps. Ok, simple changes. I went back down stairs and went through them. It was already seven thirty by the time I finished. It wasn't all that difficult, since I don't really do too much during the black swan pas de deux. Now all I had to do was wait. I sat down and took a long drink of water. I was already starting to feel light headed. I had packed the half protein bar, so I took that out and finished it. I then lay down and drifted off.

Light shaking woke me up followed by a whisper. "Gray, wake up." I opened my eyes slowly and saw the deep blue eyes of Mia. A strand of blonde hair fell in front of her face as she drew away, smiling sweetly.

"Hey Mia," I responded, stretching my back. Ouch, note to self, don't fall asleep on wooden floors. I stood up and stretch myself out further. This sucks.

"Something wrong with your back Gray," I heard Alistair say. I looked over to him and he was staring at me intently. He looked annoyed. I shook my head.

"Nah, stretching helps me wake up," I told him. "Let's do this." He nodded.

"Let's just run through it," he said, using a clicker to turn on the music.

.

.

.

.

That didn't take long; only an hour. There were a few minor errors, but it didn't take long. I was now walking down the street with Mia, on our way to a coffee shop.

"How you feeling?" I asked.

"Pretty good. I got a lot of sleep, so I'm pretty refreshed. How about you?" she asked. "You've been working day and night with Alistair, probably more than me."

I laughed. "Yea, I'm a bit tired. My friends have been keeping me busy with a bunch of parties. Alistair has been all over me with my weight." I gave a smirk and looked down. She laughed.

"You look fine to me. You know he always goes overboard, don't mind him. Come on, there's Starbucks. Let's get out of the cold." I nodded and walked on, as the wind started to pick up.

* * *

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! DON'T COME IN MY HOUSE UNINVITED!" Lucy yelled, kicking me out of her door. I landed face first in the snow.

"Ach! Lucy!"I yelled as she slammed the door. I groaned and stood up. She's in a foul mood, I thought. Is it her time of month? I shook my head and headed out into the night.

It was very lively in the city. There was a big festival coming up and apparently a ballet was going to perform at the theatre tomorrow. Erza had gotten us some tickets and we all have to go. She sent me to give Lucy and Gray there tickets. Lucy was closest and her door was unlocked. I didn't know she was taking a bath! Otherwise I would've given it to her tomorrow. I sighed. Well, the ticket was on her bed, so she would see it. I took out my phone and sent her a text, telling her about it. Now I have to go find Gray. I texted him, asking him where he was and kept walking. The wind was starting to pick up now, blowing snow in my face. I looked around where I was, trying to find a place where I could take shelter. I saw a coffee shop at the corner. Good, I'll get some hot chocolate and call Gray, if he hasn't answered my text yet.

I walked quickly inside, going straight to the counter. I ordered a hot chocolate and went to a vacant table. I pulled out my phone, seeing that he answered. He's in a Starbucks, near the theatre. I straightened. I looked around the small shop until I saw a familiar raven. I got up from my chair and made my way over to him. As I got closer, I saw sitting across from him an unfamiliar blonde woman. She was very beautiful, too. Am I interrupting a date? I snickered. Best time to tease him.

"Hey Gray, whatcha up to?" I asked, sliding onto the chair next to him. He jumped and looked over to me, startled. When he saw me, his shocked features quickly changed into a scowl.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed.

"What kind of answer is that?" I asked. Then I turned to the woman. "And who's this? Are you on a date?" She smiled and covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle. I gave her a grin and turned to Gray for an answer. He sighed.

"Natsu, this is Mia, someone I work with. Mia, this is my _friend_, Natsu." He moved his hand to her then to me, scowl disappearing as he did. I smiled again and reached across the table, holding out my hand.

"Nice you meet you," I greeted. She took my hand and shook it delicately. "Are you his girlfriend?" I asked, once she pulled away. That time she laughed, while Gray's face started reddening.

"D-dude! Why are you here?! And we're not on a date!" he exclaimed, pushing me away. I laughed. I took the ticket out of my pocket and handed it to him.

"Erza wants to see the play that's going to premiere tomorrow, and she's inviting some of us," I told him. His face paled as he looked the ticket. Fear was prominent in his dark blue eyes. He then shook his head, pushing my hand away.

"N-no, can't. I have something tomorrow," he mumbled, looking away. I looked to Mia, and was even more confused when she gave a perplexed look. I shook my head and turned back to him.

"Yeah, ok that's fine. You don't need to look so scared. I'm sure Erza will understand if you have something to do. We can always find someone else. Chill man," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to me, color back to normal, but the fear was still in his eyes. He nodded.

"Yeah, ok sure," he said, giving a small smile. Then he shrugged off my hand and stood up.

"Sorry Mia, but I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, walking away. Mia nodded as he disposed of his drink and walked out of the shop. I'm still so confused, but whatever. Everyone is a afraid of Erza. I turned back to the blonde beauty, who was also starting to get up.

"Well, I should take my leave. I hope you enjoy that ballet tomorrow," she said, flashing me one more dazzling smile. I smiled back, leaning back onto the chair. I then took out my phone and texted Erza that Gray won't be coming, yet that he was acting stranger than usual.

* * *

ANnnnnnndd Yeah! interesting? I hope you enjoyed it! Like, review and if there's anything I can do better, do tell. If not, until next chapter! Scarlet out! love y'all!

**Review Responses:**

**sktrgrl13: Haha I know right! But unfortunately he couldn't make practice. :( But at least, he learned the steps! :D**

**darkhuntressxir: I hope you enjoyed the scenes! Even if it wasn't as much as I would have liked. :)**

**TheSlayerGirl: Tehe, drunk people are the best :D**

**IvoryQueen: I have updated! And thank you! That means so much to me! ;D**

**Argon Jaden Siberite Bluridge: I have no idea. I just know I tend to make characters super OC while trying to keep them the same tehe ;) but either way, Natsu can be pretty smart :D You just got to give him the chance!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey Minna! Next chapter! Again, sorry about the wait. I had to get my other stories up and write this one down. Luckily, it didn't take me too long :D

Anyway DICLAIMER! I don't own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Master Hiro Mashima! I only own this plot! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4

"Please Alistair, you have to let the understudy take this performance. Something came up and I can't make it!" I exclaimed into the phone. I have been arguing with Alistair for I don't know how long. If my friends are going to see the ballet the first day, I wanted to make sure they didn't know anything. I've kept it up for ten years and I'm not going to let them know now.

"Like hell I will. No one is as good as you and to let you off the premiere is unthinkable. I don't care what came up, you're not missing this performance. And if you try to run off, I _will_ hunt you down," he growled from the other line. Even when he wasn't here, the shivers still ran up my spine.

"Please Alistair," I pleaded. I gripped the phone with both my hands, though that did little to help.

"No, any other day would be fine. Not the premiere, this is the end of it." And then the line went dead. I threw the phone one way out of frustration. I didn't hear a thud, so I guess it hit the couch. I gripped my hair and sighed. Damn it all. Damn him. Damn _me_. I have been spending all last night and all of today trying to convince Alistair to opt me out of the performance tonight. No matter what I said, it all ended the same. I would call, we would argue for a while and he would close the argument and hang up on me. He was absolutely impossible to compromise with. I looked over to the clock on the mantle. It was almost five: call time. The performance was at eight, so I would have to convince him before then. I packed my bag and headed out.

When I got to the theatre, everything was all chaotic. Stage crew was running around trying to get all the props ready, some of the dancers were complaining they couldn't find their costume and there were a bunch of tech people arguing over who was working where. Yep, just the regular hell week premiere. I searched around for Alistair, but I couldn't find him anywhere. By now, I was freaking out. I really didn't want anyone to see me perform. My search became more frantic now as I starting shoving people out of the way and demanding they tell me where Alistair.

Finally, after a half hour of people getting ready, I found Alistair yelling at the person in charge of the stage props. I didn't care who he was talking to, I just pushed my way over there, determined to get Alistair to change his mind.

"I told you, I wanted gold goblets, not silver! Get it right!" he yelled, turning to me now. "And you! Why aren't you changed yet?"

"Please reconsider," I insisted.

"Why would I reconsider when you're already here," he replied, giving me an amused look. Realizing my mistake, I shook my head.

"Please Alistair!" I grabbed his arm. I'm really freaking out now.

He glowered at me. "_No_. Go get dressed _now_. I will not hear anything now. I wouldn't care if your puppy died. You're performing tonight." He yanked his arm from me and stormed away. I started at his retreating figure, eyes wide. I gulped. There was no helping it. All I could do now was pray to the heavens that somehow my friends couldn't make it. I went to the dressing room and got my costume on, fighting off my dread.

"Oh hey Gray! Did you learn the steps?" I heard and all too friendly voice say.

"Yeah, Hibiki. It wasn't all that hard," I replied, pulling on my overcoat. I went over to the mirror and checked to make sure everything was in place.

"That's good. Hey, are you alright? You look pale?" he asked, stepping closer. I gave him a warning look and he backed away.

"Sorry, but I'm just not in a good mood right now. I didn't get much sleep last night," I told him, softening my gaze. He gave an understanding smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I was having trouble sleeping too. I guess that's the nerves working." He laughed and I gave a little smile. "So what were you and Alistair talking about earlier? He seemed pretty hostile, from the looks of it."

"Nothing important," I replied, looking away. "Anyway, we should go now. Looks like they need us for some final run-throughs." I pointed to some stressed looking tech people who were next to Alistair. He gave me a stern look while motioning for us to come over there. This was going to be a long three hours.

* * *

"Where the hell is Natsu!" I heard Erza yell from across the street. I didn't see any cars coming now, so I darted toward my group of friends. They had all gathered in line now, waiting for the ticket lady to take their bills and probably for me. I got stuck at work for an hour, and I just barely had time to get ready before I had to be here.

"I'm right here Erza! Sorry I didn't call, my phone died, but I got caught at work. Sorry," I said, giving her an apologetic smile.

While she looked irritated, she nodded to me and turned to the young ticket lady. "Next time, borrow someone's phone," she ordered coldly, sliding the ticket under the window slot. I nodded, too scared to say anything.

"C'mon Erza, don't be so harsh. We're here to enjoy a cultural event," her boyfriend Jellal said to her, giving her hand a squeeze once he gave his ticket to the now starry-eyed lady.

I was the last to give my ticket. It turns out everyone from the party was here, save for Gray. At the thought of him, I recalled how he acted when I tried inviting him to the ballet. He looked really scared. After I got an earful from Erza on how he couldn't come, she let me explain that her hunch that something's wrong with Gray might be justified. We were planning on talking to him today, but he wasn't answering his phone and so Erza and Lucy when to his house, but they told me no one answered the door. I couldn't come because I had work all day. So now we decided to go to his place after the performance and we weren't going to take no for an answer. Just Lucy, Erza and me, as we were the closest to him. Juvia insisted she should come too, but somehow we were able to subdue her into hanging out with the other girls instead.

It was still lit in the theatre when we got there, so I wasn't completely late, but the lights did dim once we were in our seats. We got some pretty good seats. We were on the ground floor, close enough to the stage to be able to see the dancers' faces.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to our premiere of the ballet, Swan Lake. We ask the audience members to please refrain from leaving the room until intermission. Refreshments will be served during the break. And please, at this time, silence your cell phones and to remind you that no flash photography is allowed, as they may blind the dancers. Thank you and enjoy the performance." And with that, all lights were directed to the stage and the curtain opened.

Several male dancers came out onto the stage and took their places, waiting for the music to begin. I recognized a few of them as Hibiki, Ren and Eve. This was one of the reasons we came today: to root them on, I guess you could say.

It was all very graceful and each dancer stayed in time with the next. A few moments later some women came out, all very beautiful. Like dolls. They danced around, and although I know this is what a ballet is, it was still very boring. I rested my head in my hand and watched the beginning lazily. I felt something nudge my foot and I glanced over to an annoyed Erza. I quickly sat up and pretended I looked interested in the ballet. I saw, in my peripheral, give a satisfied smirk and turn back to the dancers as well. I waited a few moments before placing my head back in my hand, but what I saw next made me sit up even straighter than before, if that was possible. I stared wide eyed at the stage as I saw what I knew to be the prince (yeah I went over the summary to see what the ballet was about). Even with his hair tamed and slicked to the side, I recognized that face and droopy eyes anywhere.

My mouth dropped open three feet as I stared at the familiar face of Gray Fullbuster tiptoeing across the stage. I glanced over to my friends and saw they had similar expressions. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. When this explained his reaction from yesterday. In all my years of knowing him, and I've known him since we were in middle school, not once did I know he danced, and did ballet for that matter. I looked him up and down, from his tight pantyhose to his almost stoic face, then back to his pantyhose. I couldn't help myself. I snickered.

Some people glanced over to me, but I ignored them. I guess I know why he never told me. I looked back to my friends again and saw humored faces on some of the guys' faces and fascination on the girls' faces, although irritation was mixed with Erza's. I looked back to Gray and observed him. This outta be good. I gave a smirk and kept watching.

Gray gracefully moved around, but he didn't do anything major until about five minutes into the waltz (yeah, I recognize some Tchaikovsky). He had his own little solo. I watched him, half hoping he'd mess up so that I could tease him even more later. But I didn't see anything wrong. In fact he was actually really good, now that I saw him do more than just guide the girls.

Later on, he did do more than just guiding. Some of these moves were actually pretty good, not that I would admit that to him. By now I was starting to wonder when Odette was going to enter. Then the lights dimmed once again as a change of scene commenced.

After all was set, a new character came into show. He was wearing a black body suit and had black wings. The antagonist, I knew to be Rothbart. Cool, but I wanted to see Odette.

And I did, several minutes later. Gray was on the stage, waving a crossbow around and then suddenly, there she came. Just as graceful as all the other dancers. But she definitely caught my attention. Something about her seemed _very_ familiar. I looked closer to her and then it suddenly hit me. That girl. Mia I think her name was. I blink a few times and covered my mouth to avoid yelling out loud. So this is the work Gray does. This'll be some interesting things to talk about.

.

.

.

.

Overall it was a wonderful performance. I had no idea Gray was a great dancer. I can see why he would hide it from us, but he has some real talent.

Lucy, Erza and I waited out in front to try and find Gray. Erza was furious that she didn't know this part about Gray. He was definitely in for it. We waited an hour when Gray finally came from inside the building, walking side by side with Mia. He looked pretty happy as he laughed with Mia, but that was until he saw us. His face paled three shades, making him near transparent, especially when he saw Erza. He really looked like he was ready to bolt….or be sick. I looked over to her, but luckily she didn't look too scary. I gave him a smirk as sweat started to form on his brow. We all just stared at each other, ignoring the bustling of the other passersby on the sidewalk.

"Oh hey guys, I didn't know you were all coming to see the performance," an all too familiar voice said, breaking the silence. Some of Gray's color returned to him as Hibiki came up from behind him. He gave a charming smile to Lucy as he slung his arm over Gray's shoulder, causing the raven to tense in irritation. Ren and Eve were following right behind him, giving equally charming smiles.

"Yes of course. Congratulations. You did a magnificent job. Especially you Gray," Erza said warmly. Gray stiffened even more at the sound of his name. He gave her a nervous look.

"T-thanks Erza," he said quietly, averting his gaze. Hibiki and the rest gave him confused looks. Then Mia turned to me.

"Hello again Natsu," she said, voice sweet and gentle. Did you enjoy the ballet as well?" She gave a warm smile.

"Yes it was very nice and you did an amazing job at Odette," I told her. She blushed.

"Come on everyone, let's go out and celebrate for a great premiere night," Hibiki announced, pulling Gray along.

"Wait for me!" a new voice came from the theatre. A few moments later came out a middle aged man with dark brown hair that went to his shoulders wearing a trench coat. He was quite handsome, with his angular face, deep green arrogant eyes. But while he looked handsome, there was something about him that seemed…off.

"You guys didn't think you could party without my supervision, now did you?" the man asked, giving a wide smile that just barely reached his eyes. Gray looked at him nervously while the others looked completely relaxed.

"Of course. Oh, I should probably introduce you guys. Erza, Lucy, Natsu, this is Alistair Goodwick. He's our ballet director. He's the reason this whole production went well. Alistair, our friends Erza, Lucy and Natsu."

"Pleasure to meet you all," he said, shaking each of our hands. He held onto mine just the tiniest bit longer, giving me an odd look I couldn't quite place.

"Likewise," Erza said politely, but I knew she saw it too.

"Well come on let's go! I have a reservation at the Hyatt for all the staff. You guys can come too, of course. There's room for everyone," Alistair told us. He gave us another almost empty smile, which I returned with a small grin.

"Sure. We would love to accompany you, Alistair," Lucy spoke up.

"Then let's go. It's a short walk from here," he said, walking down the sidewalk already. We all hastily caught up to him. He motioned for Gray to walk up with him and he rubbed his shoulder affectionately. Well at least, it looked affectionate. For some reason, that kind of made me angry. I guess it was because I didn't quite trust the bastard.

* * *

OOOOOOOOOO, they know! tehe! I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review. I know it's been a while, but your reviews mean a lot to me. It gives me motivation ;) All reviews are excepted, including criticism. Until next chapter, Scarlet out! Love y'all! :D

**Review Responses:**

**Blackened Ice: your wish has been granted!**

**sktrgrl13: DING DING DING! you have guessed correctly! He does have an eating disorder. But that's next chapter ;)**

**nya: it makes me laugh sometimes too XD**

**AsDarknessSpreads: I know right, but there's only so much we can do right now. We'll just have to wait and see...**

**darkhuntressxir: I hope it was interesting ;)**

**theabridgedkuriboh: Definitely not good ;D**

**IvoryQueen: Those are always good friends and yeah, it is sad, but we're just going to have to wait until someone finds him in the right situation.**

**x0xalexis8: He just might, but you never know ;)**

**TheSlayerGirl: But sometimes it's a good thing ;)**

**NephoPhobia: Yeah, I hate proofreading, so I don't, thus, some minor grammar mistakes. And don't worry! I'm a native English speaker, I got my "yours" under control ;D**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey Minna! New chapter! Sorry about the wait, I had a bit of a rough time getting this typed up, so I deeply apologize if it sucks

Anyway DISCLAIMER! I don't own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Hiro Mashima! I only own the plot! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

We arrived at the Hyatt with no cracks about my ballet profession from Natsu, luckily. Though that was a bit odd. But I didn't get the chance to talk to him, or Erza and Lucy about it, since Alistair wouldn't let me leave his side, even when we arrived at the hotel.

He took all of our coats and gave them to the bellboy, including Natsu's, Erza's and Lucy's surprisingly. In fact, it was surprising he was nice to them at all. He's usually very cold to any of the dancers' outside friends. Even the newbie's have a hard time getting his trust. He was up to something. Even Mia and the Trimen noticed it and gave me curious looks. I shrugged my shoulders, deciding that I would talk to them later. If we knew Alistair, he was going to do something crazy and we had to stop it.

When we got to the ballroom, it was already filled to the brim with the entire crew and cast. Some threw us friendly greetings while others steered clear, probably because of Alistair.

"Oooo food! C'mon Gray, let's eat!" Natsu exclaimed, dragging me to the buffet by my arm. I resisted at first, knowing full well what would happen, but then Erza joined in, guiding us toward the dessert area where I naturally saw strawberry cakes. Typical Erza. I saw Alistair in my peripheral, glaring at me, and then to Natsu, yet I also saw some reluctance when he glanced to Erza. I grinned inwardly. So even the Fearless and Crazy Alistair knew to be afraid of our monster.

I took the tiniest plate available and put the smallest piece of brownie on it. No one would notice. I then stood to the side, waiting for my two friends to finish piling their plates with sweets.

Natsu finished first while Erza was still trying to figure out how she could fit more cake on this trip. By now, Lucy and some of the other dancers had joined in, keeping clear of Erza when she came around to collect more food.

"C'mon Gray, let's go over 'ere," Natsu spoke up from behind me. I jumped slightly, but before I knew it, he had already taken me across the room where there was an empty table. I picked at my brownie while Natsu stuffed his face non-stop. I chuckled.

"Wha?" he asked threw the food still in his mouth. I shook my head.

"Nothing," I said, pushing my dessert toward him. He eagerly took it, shoving it into his mouth in one bite. I chuckled again, but this time he ignored it. A few moments later, Lucy and Erza came over with Mia, plates full of sweets, even Mia's.

"Hey Gray, Natsu! Gray, why don't you have any food?" Mia asked, taking a seat next to mine.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not really hungry after such a performance. I guess it's just the nerves." She nodded.

"You should still eat. You need to celebrate," Erza insisted, taking a bite of her strawberry cake. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Hey it's ok if he doesn't want to eat. I'm the exact same way," proclaimed the voice of Alistair. I looked up and saw him looming over me. He then placed his hands on my shoulders and gave a not so light squeezed. I straightened up.

"Anyway, Gray can you come with me. I want to give you some feedback on the performance." He grabbed my arm and started pulling me out of my chair. Then Mia placed her hand on my shoulder, trying to force me down.

"Oh come on, Alistair, give Gray a break. He did a wonderful performance, that's all that needs to be said," Mia insisted.

"Now now, dear, I'm doing this with everyone, starting with Gray. I'll be back with him soon." With one last pull, I was out of my chair, being, for the second time tonight, dragged across the room. Though this wasn't nearly as humoring as when Natsu did it. Alistair was jerky and forceful. Natsu was fun and playful.

We were near the bathroom, out of sight completely from the party, when he finally came to stop to glare at me. I backed away from him, afraid of his criticism. But then in an instant, his gaze softened and he laughed. I looked at him, confused.

"I got youuuu," he teased. I relaxed and laughed too.

"Mia was correct," he started. "You were wonderful. Best performance I have ever seen you do."

.

.

.

Happiness filled me, making my heart beat just a little bit faster, my chest feeling lighter. Only once, in my relationship with Alistair, had he ever complimented me, and that was five years ago during my audition for him. This made me happier than anyone could ever be. I have worked long and hard to please one of the most difficult and stubborn human beings in my entire life.

"But." And just like that, my happy world came crashing down just by that small word. My shoulders slumped and I stared at him warily.

"Your weight." I groaned inwardly. I was already self-conscious about that. Why did he have to keep pushing it? I looked away from him.

"Listen Gray, you're a beautiful man, but we all have our flaws. But it's a matter of how we take care of them that helps us get through." He reached down and cupped my chin, forcing me to look up at him. "And I know a solution that'll definitely help you." He then took my hand and led me into the bathroom.

Near the first stall, he held up two fingers.

"This is the key to being the true beautiful man you can be. Two fingers and shove. I'll help you, if you want. I would do anything for you." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. He patted my head and smoothed my hair down, then pulled my head to his chest.

"I know it's difficult with your body, but if you do exactly as I say, you'll be perfect. Here's another thing." He pushed me away long enough to reach into his pocket and pull out a box. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a pack of cigarettes. I looked at it wide-eyed. My breathing increased and my heart rate started to pick up. I blinked a few times.

"It's ok Gray," he cooed as I buried my face in his chest, tears rolling down my face. He was right to criticize my body. It will never be good enough. I have to keep trying though. I have to look perfect. If I don't, I won't be good enough for my friends or for ballet. They won't like me anymore. I will be kicked out.

"It's ok. You're perfect in my eyes, but it's my job to make sure you look wonderful and perfect to others too. Two fingers and I'll let you have these." But he didn't let go yet. I gripped his shirt, not ready to let go either. He truly is just looking out for me. This crazy bastard understands and is actually helping me.

"Come now, do you want my help?" he asked, pushing me away. I whimpered but complied. I shook my head and turned to the stall. I felt something near my hip, assuming it was Alistair slipping the pack inside.

"One more thing before I go." He turned me around and cupped my cheek. Another tear slipped down my face as he leaned down to give me a kiss. It was tender and sweet. Loving and caring. Not expecting too much. His warmth stayed on my mouth as he pulled away and left the bathroom. A few moments later, I turned back to the stall, two fingers ready.

* * *

Mia's POV

I looked over to where Gray and Alistair disappear again, growing more nervous by the minute. The Trimen had joined us now, goofing/flirting with Lucy, Erza and Natsu. Every once in a while I would laugh with them, but I couldn't shake the bad feeling I had when I stared at the bathroom.

After ten minutes of waiting, I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and mumbled something about the restroom and left, them barely noticing as they laughed at Lucy's beat red face.

I had just rounded the corner when Alistair came out, wearing a mischievous smile. I looked at him warily, but his smile only widened when he saw me, eyes taunting and laughing. He gave me a quick, smug look before disappearing around the corner. If I was nervous before, that was nothing compared to how I feel now. I rushed to the bathroom. Feeling too self-conscious to actually barge in the men's restroom, I put my ear to the door, hoping no one would come by and see me.

I couldn't really hear much, but I did hear _something._ I looked around again and pushed down my anxiety and quietly walked in.

More like poked my head inside, but that was enough. What I heard made my stomach churn and twist. Retching and gagging sounds echoed off the walls. I would say that Gray ate something bad, but I noticed he didn't touch his brownie, and _if_ he did eat something else, no one else was in the bathroom. I knew something was wrong. Just as quietly I came in, I shuffled out.

I leaned against the wall and slid down, not caring I was wearing a dress. I sat down with my legs pulled in. I rested my head on my knees and cried. I didn't sob, like I wanted to, but I shed the tears that I hoped I didn't have to shed. I should've seen this coming. I should've noticed it sooner.

Over the past few months, Gray _had_ been growing skinnier. But not obvious enough. I huffed a breath and looked up, pushing away my anger and tears. I blamed myself for not noticing, but I blame Alistair more. He was always on Gray, whether or not it was his weight. He had the capability to make you feel like you were the most important person in the world. Yet at the same time, he can make you feel as if you should've never been born. I have been working with him for years. He was my teacher. I know him too well, and I know he's causing Gray to do these kinds of things to himself. He will definitely get something, but for now, I have to help Gray.

I waited impatiently for him to finished, resisting the urge to go and yank him from the toilet seat and slap, literally and figuratively, some sense into him. Five minutes later, he came out wiping his mouth. He looked around, not seeing me right away. I stood up quickly, getting his attention right away.

"Mia, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking around nervously. "I think Alistair might be looking for you." I rolled my eyes.

"I know what you did Gray," I stated bluntly. He paled.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently, getting his composure back quickly, although he stayed cautious.

"You know what I mean. I heard you."

He glared at me, yet he looked a little scared too. "It's really none of your business now is it?" he retorted pushing past me. I followed behind him, grabbing his arm.

"Stop, Gray, please," I pleaded. He yanked his arm out of my grip.

"Gray, don't trust Alistair!" I blurted out. This made him stop, but he didn't turn around. I took this as a good sign.

"He's not the person you think Gray. He's not some gentle man," I insisted. "He's going to hurt you and he's going to make you do things you wouldn't normally do. I know what you're thinking. Let me help you." A tear made its way down my cheek when he just shook his head and walked away. I balled my fists, trying to control my anger and sadness.

"So you've noticed too."

I jumped several feet as I turned around to the new voice. A woman with scarlet hair came out of the shadows. Erza.

"Yeah, for a while now, now that I think about it. I guess I never looked hard enough," I replied, looking away. I heard a hollow laugh.

"Same here. I wish I could've been more attentive." She sighed. "I thought I already knew everything about Gray. We've been friends since the third grade. But never in my years have I known he was a dancer and now this!" Her voice wavered at the end of her sentence. She was fighting tears too.

"So what's this about Alistair?" she asked. "You said not to trust him. And I _did_ sense something about him and I think Luce and Natsu did too. I would like to know more about that. Maybe we can get together tomorrow and discuss it."

"Sure, but, what about Gray?" I asked. "Who knows what he'll do when he's alone and I don't want Alistair to go to his apartment."

"I'll have him stay at Natsu's. They're best friends anyway," she responded nonchalantly. I nodded.

"Ok, but shouldn't we discuss it now? Wouldn't that be better?"

"No, I want Gray to get out of here now and to get some sleep. I'll inform Natsu and Lucy in the morning too."

I shifted my weight uncertainly. "Mmmm, now that I think about it, maybe we should wait until after the final performance. I mean, we shouldn't put too much pressure on him already. Maybe we should keep surveillance on him until after the performance then talk to him about getting help. We have two weeks off every performance, so it'll hopefully give us plenty of time."

She pursed her lips, thinking. "Maybe, but we're definitely talking tomorrow, even if it doesn't include Gray. I want to know more about this Alistair person. And I want to discuss how we can help Gray until the performance is over."

"Is that really necessary? He's a crazy asshole, what else is there to know?"

"What he's like, how old is he, does he have any immediate family, his address-"

"Why would you need to know his address?"

She gave me a surprised look. "How else am I supposed to make him pay for doing this to Gray?"

* * *

SOoooooo, you like? Don't like? Sucks too much? Please review and tell me what you think! I'm sorry if it sucks too much! Until next chapter, Scarlet out! Loves y'all!

**Review Responses:**

**theabridgedkuriboh: Something very off ;)**

**AsDarknessSpreads: Haha his sneeze is perfect... SO TRUE! And yeah, Alistair can't be trusted!**

**Blackened Ice: You sir, are a smart person! And thank you! That means more than you know! :D**

**sktrgrl13: It's because you're so smart, and that's an important thing to be! And yep and Erza and Lucy can help too! And yea, Natsu is so adorable, jealous or not :D Thanks for liking my last chapter :) It means a lot!**

**darkhuntressxir: Thanks I hope so!**

**Nephophobia: Haha yea, it can be funny! I hope this was a good chapter! :)**

**Ivory Queen: Things shall be revealed...next chapter! But of course Natsu shall save him! I wouldn't have it any other way ^^ And yea it is good, or else their friendship would've been pretty rocky afterward :/ I hope your hunger was satisfied :)**


	6. Chapter 6

What's this? An update? After so long? I DIDN'T DIE! Just lack of time :( but I'm here now with an extra long chapter with some extra drama!

Anyway, DISCLAIMER! I do NOT own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Master Hiro Mashima! I only own this plot here! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6

"Gray," I heard Erza say sternly. I turned around and looked at her and saw Mia standing beside her. My heart picked up its pace but I was able to muster an annoyed glare (in my opinion) to hide my growing fear.

"Yea?" I replied.

"It's time to leave. You have another performance tomorrow, right?" she asked.

I nodded, relaxing. "Ok, are we going together?"

"Yea. I have work in the morning and so do Lucy and Natsu so we need to leave now too. Go get our coats," she commanded.

"Why me?" I complained. "Natsu's already up." I pointed over to the buffet counter as Natsu was piling up yet _another_ plate.

"And he's getting food. Plus I have to talk to him. Just go." She spoke this much harsher. I stood up shakily and went over to Alistair, since he was the one who took our coats in the first place.

He was talking to another one of the dancers when I found him. I waited a few minutes for him to finish speaking with him.

"Hey Alistair, where did you put our coats?" I asked once the dancer left.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked looking a little sad.

"Yea, my friends have work in the morning and I need to sleep, so I'm going to head out with them," I told him. "So can you tell me where you put our coats?"

"Yes just follow me." He took my hand lightly and led me out of the ballroom. When he brought me near an elevator, I stopped in my tracks.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he tugged on my hand.

"I rented a room and kept the coats in there." ….Ooookaaay. That's a little weird. But who said Alistair was normal? "But I also bought one for you and me." He stepped closer now, leaning on me. He curled am arm around my torso and pulled me closer. I took a small whiff and knew that he'd been drinking. But then he pressed his lips to mine and all thoughts of worry went away….

.

.

.

.

"Gray, it's time to go. You're not going to get sleep like this."

…..Until I heard those words. I broke away from my instructor quickly, blushing like mad. I looked to Erza and she had an annoyed look on her pretty face.

"Sorry," I mumbled, stepping away. Immediately I felt cold.

"Alistair, I would appreciate that you would get our coats for us, or at least, let Gray get them uninterrupted. I thought you valued your dancers' health before a performance?"

Alistair, in return, gave a grunt of annoyance and answered, "I do and I especially care for Gray's. That's why I want to keep him with me so I can keep an eye on him."

"Come now Alistair, Gray spends so much time with you during rehearsals. He needs a break," she responded almost automatically.

That's when the stare down began. Tension quickly thickened the atmosphere as two of the most intense people I know gave equally angry glares to each other. I shrunk away quietly into a corner.

.

.

.

"Yo, what's up?" a new voice jumped in.

Completely oblivious to the hostility in the air, Natsu bounced in the room with that annoying smile on his face. A few steps behind him was Lucy, who walked in cautiously seemingly sensing the tenseness.

"Where are our coats, 'cause I'm all ready to go," he continued. Alistair glanced to them, then to Erza then finally settled his gaze on mine. I silently pleaded to him to just let us go. I didn't really want to be here anymore. After a few more tense moments, Alistair sighed.

"I'll go grab them with Gray. Don't worry, I won't keep him long," he added quickly when Erza sent him another angry glare. He pressed the up button for the elevator and it opened immediately. He waved to me and I entered the chamber. He pressed the 13th button and the elevator closed.

All was silent as we made our way to the room. It was as if the tension followed us until we got to the room. He pulled out the key and opened the door quickly. The minute it closed behind us Alistair roughly pushed me against the wall and immediately stuck his tongue into my mouth. His lips were warm against mine as he pushed his leg in between mine and rubbed against me. It only took a few moments until I was completely melted into the kiss. I clung to his shirt, pulling him even closer to me until there was absolutely no spaced left.

Soon enough, he pulled away and I moaned slightly, trying to pull him back.

"No Gray. I don't want your _friend_ to be angry if I kept you here too long." With that, he pulled away completely, leaving me empty and cold. I put my arms around myself and followed him. All around the room, I now notice, had coats everywhere. I was practically stepping on a bunch of them as I followed him deeper into the room. How did I not notice this before?

A moment later, Alistair was by my side, holding out four coats to me. I took the bundle and stared up at him. He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the forehead and quickly walked me out.

"If you ever need a new pack, I'll be happy to give one to you. But it comes with a price," he told me, breaking to silence in the elevator.

"What kind of price?" I asked.

"Depends on my mood, so you'll just have to find out when you get there." He glanced over to me and gave me a tired smirk. I smiled back, but didn't say much more.

"What took you so long?" an immediate voice boomed the minute the elevator opened. Then an arm reached out and grabbed the front of my shirt. Erza dragged me out, giving me no time to get my footing back. I was then thrown into Natsu's unsuspecting arms. Everyone took their coats and quickly said their goodbyes, barely giving me anytime to pull on my coat. I stumbled out into a snowy night as the wind blew all around me as I was now dragged by Natsu in the opposite direction of my house.

"Natsu where are we going!" I shouted as the wind blew harder, snow swirling in my eyes.

"My place," he replied.

"Why? I'm perfectly fine at my house!"

"My place is closer! I checked the weather on my phone and a storm's coming. We're getting almost twenty four inches of snow and it won't stop until tomorrow afternoon!" The wind blew even harder now, snow flying everywhere. I could barely see two feet in front of me but Natsu seemed to know exactly where to go.

It seems that Natsu was right when he said his apartment was closer. Despite the wind blowing us back, we made it there in ten minutes. Normally, going home from that Hyatt would've taken me at least twenty, and longer in the storm.

He and I ran, trying to beat each other to the door. It was presumably a tie. As we rode the elevator up, we argued who touched the door first. Neither of us would back down until an old lady who came out in her tacky bathrobe with her hair up in a towel, green facial mask plastered on her face and ladle in hand and yelled at us to be quiet. The sight was frightening enough to keep us silent until we got into his apartment.

He went into the kitchen to whip us up some hot chocolate while I went into the linen closet for some blankets for the couch. When I went back into the living room, I heard the ancient microwave sound from the kitchen. A few minutes later, I had the trundle all set up with the blankets and pillows and Natsu came out of the kitchen with two steaming mugs, no doubt filled to the brim with marshmallows, whip cream piled high on top.

I took the beverage silent as I looked out of his window. Snow was piling up quickly on his balcony, and I imagine it was even worse on the street. I walked up to the large window and sighed in contentment. This was one of my favorite scenarios, minus being in Natsu's apartment. It was quite comforting, not that I would tell anyone that. I heard Natsu come up from behind me and stare out the window too.

"Soooooo ballet?" he said in a teasing tone. I sighed again. I knew this was coming.

"What about it?" I replied skeptically.

"How long?" he asked.

I had to think about that. "I think since junior high. Or maybe high school. No it was grade school, seventh grade. My mom insisted I take lessons for football to improve my balance and flexibility. But once I started, I couldn't stop."

"Was it because of the girls?"

"In the beginning, yes. My young hormones peaked especially around that time, but after a while, I grew to really enjoy it."

"Why didn't you tell us, Erza especially? You've known her since maybe before grade school."

I hesitated. "Mostly because of this moment. I knew you would tease me."

"Yea, but that's me. Erza and even Lucy would've marveled in your talent."

"Would you have told them?"

He opened his mouth then closed it a few seconds later, clearly at a loss for words. Thought so. He looked out the window again, silence consuming us once more. I took a sip of my hot chocolate now that it has cooled down. It was very sweet. I took another sip.

"I think I'll come to tomorrow's performance." I choked on the drink. "And I think I'll take the others and maybe some other friends." That's when I spewed the drink.

"What?" I exclaimed. He gave me a devilish grin before he took another drink and turned around back into the room.

"Yeah, I mean talent like that can't be hidden," he teased. I smacked him on the head and proceeded into the room in front of him. I looked at the clock. It read nine o'clock. Still a little too early to go to bed yet.

"Hey let's play twister!" I heard him exclaim. I turned around and saw him holding up the box to the game. I rolled my eyes.

"You're so immature," I replied. But I set down my drink anyway. My Gray Sensors were itching for a competition as I watched him lay out the colorful mat and throw the spinner on the floor next to it. I took off my socks and rolled up my pants and sleeves. I'm going to break our tie.

….

We played for about two hours until it fell under yet _another_ tie. Then Erza called and told us to stop whatever we were doing and get to sleep. Now Natsu was snoring obnoxiously in his room whereas I was still wide awake looking out the balcony window again. I fingered the opening of the pack and the lighter I found in the cabinet in the kitchen. I kept staring at my reflection. I was shirtless now and I could see myself clearly. I had a pudge. I had already emptied the contents of my stomach a few minutes ago, now I was contemplating taking Alistair's advice on the smoking. I knew the consequences of smoking. My mother's boyfriend was a big time smoker. But I couldn't let my weight go. I spent another few minutes now looking at a wrap. Then I sighed. I light the end and looked at it a little longer before taking a drag. I immediately started coughing.

"What are you doing?" a voice suddenly spoke. I jumped and turned around, seeing Natsu standing there, a cup of water in hand.

"Nothing," I replied, looking for a place to put the cigarette, blushing in embarrassment.

"Doesn't look like nothing," he replied. I looked away.

"Since when do you smoke?" he asked. I didn't answer. I just turned around.

"Seriously man. I've seen you do stupid things, but this takes the prize."

"Shut up."

"Don't you know the consequences of smoking? Don't you know how dangerous it is?"

"I said shut up. Don't you think I know?"

"Then why are you doing it?"

"Why do you care?"

"It was because of smoking that Igneel is no longer alive." This surprised me. Natsu rarely spoke of Igneel and whenever he did, he got all distant and sad. It was a taboo topic among our friends. I never met the guy. Natsu became my friend in eighth grade. He had already died by then. Because of that Natsu's words barely touched me.

"So what? That's Igneel. I know how to take care of myself," I replied harshly.

"The only way to take care of yourself is to not smoke at all," he insisted. "Smoking is not a cool thing Gray. It does nothing for you except deteriorate your health."

His words annoyed me. It doesn't matter if I looked cool. I just wanted to be perfect. And if Alistair says smoking will help, then I'll do it. But seeing the look Natsu gave me, one of sadness and loss, I guess I was going to have to put up a show. So I slumped my shoulders and said, "You're right." I glanced to the bud and looked around, trying to think of a place to put it out. I looked back to him and his relief couldn't have been more obvious. He walked over to me and took the bud out of my hand, along with the pack and lighter and went into the bathroom. I heard flush the toilet a few minutes later. During that time I had gotten into bed and went to sleep. I just have to get another pack from Alistair tomorrow.

* * *

The Next day Natsu's POV

I let Gray sleep in as I left my apartment, although I placed an alarm clock near his head set for noon in case he needed some help. I wasn't going to be at the apartment all day. Erza wanted to talk with the lot of us. It was almost eight and she had to be at work at nine, so I had to get there quickly. The coffee shop wasn't too far from my apartment and I hoped the storm wouldn't slow me down too much.

When I got to the ground floor, I looked out the door and saw it was still blowing out, though not as intensely as the night before. So pulled my hood over my head, zipped my zipper up further and headed out.

It took me exactly ten minutes to get there, thank goodness, but in the end I was covered in snow. If it was this bad, I was probably going to be late for work. I looked around the shop as I took off my winter wear. I saw Lucy and Era sitting in the back of the shop along with another person I didn't quite recognize. After I ordered my regular morning coffee, I walked over there. A few moments later, I recognized the stranger as Mia.

"Hey guys," I greeted as I pulled up a chair.

"Hey Natsu. Now that we're all here, I suppose you want to know why I called you here, Mia especially." Lucy and I nodded in unison.

"Well, for one thing, have you notice Gray has been acting differently?" she asked.

"Different how?" Lucy asked.

"More moody, a little distant, skinnier…" she listed off.

"Well, he's definitely been moodier, but I haven't noticed anything about him getting skinnier," Lucy replied. Erza nodded.

"That's what I saw too. He hides it well and it wasn't until last night that I found out about him. Same goes with Mia. Gray is sick. He's throwing up."

Lucy widened her eyes while Mia nodded her head. I just looked at Erza, confused how this was a problem. Of course you throw up when you're sick.

"What is sick with?" I asked. They looked at me as if I had three heads. I just stared at them back, trying to contemplate what was going on.

"Natsu, Gray has bulimia," Lucy whispered. That's when things started to click.

"Oh," was all I whispered. We sat in silence, just listening to the chatter of two women near the front.

Not knowing what else to say, I said, "Gray's smoking."

They all stiffened. I looked at their faces. Mia looked as if she was on the verge crying, Lucy didn't look much different, whereas Erza looked completely devoid of emotion.

"I told him to stop it, but knowing him, he probably gave in to avoid a big fight and avoid involving you guys," I continued. "So there's no doubt in my mind he's going to keep going and if he's sick then I guess he's smoking to supposedly help him." It stayed silent for an even longer time.

"We need to stop him," Erza finally said. "You said this wasn't the first time Mia, yes?" I jerked my head up and looked to the blonde. She nodded.

"He did the same thing the guy before Gray. His name was Will. He tore him down, made him sick like Gray," she told us. "He was in rehab for a year and since then, he never went back to Alistair or dance."

"But why?" Lucy asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Alistair is without a doubt a little off in his head, but sadly he's a genius and only a few know of what he can really be like. And there are still some unknown things about him that can't be explained."

"No matter. We need to help Gray now. I'm going to make a few calls later. Any suggestions?" Erza asked.

"Well, we definitely need to keep him away from Alistair as much as we can," Mia said. "After every performance, we get two weeks off. During that time, Alistair usually goes as far away as possible and never brings anyone with him. So we have all that time to work with Gray and talk to him." Erza nodded, smiling.

"I have a suggestion," I said. They looked at me. "You know how Gray has lost a lot of weight." They nodded looking a little confused. "Well, in order to help him in that area, we need to make him eat!"

"And how do you propose we do that, Natsu?" Lucy asked annoyed.

"Well that requires rope and chair and a dark room and…"

"Natsu, we are _not_ tying Gray up and forcing him to eat!" I was taken aback by Lucy's outburst.

"Ok ok, it was just a suggestion." She shook her head.

"Oh, Erza, you said you were going to make a few calls. Who are you calling though?" Mia asked.

"Gray's siblings, Lyon and Ultear. Maybe they can help us get through to Gray," she replied.

* * *

SOooooooo YAY! Finally go a chapter up! SO sorry it has been so long. I may be a high schooler, but life still sucks with all the activities. But either way, I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review about anything please! I know you're probably mad at me for not posting, but please do! It usually means I'll post things faster! So thank you! Until next chapter, Scarlet out! Loves y'all!

**Review Responses:**

**Ivory Queen: I'm sorry I made you mad :( Here, have a cookie (gives reader cookie) I hope this makes up for it :) And don't worry I'm sure Natsu will save him :) He caught him smoking and knows he's lying afterall ;) And I completely agree with you on the smoking. It's just not as cool as some people may think it is. No I'm not a smoker, but my grandparents were and they paid the price for it. But I still love them dearly. Now we can only hope Natsu can save him in time. :)**

**theabridgedkuriboh: Yea, I hate him too :(**

**sktrgrl13: I'm sorry I made you sad :( and indeed. THIS MEANS WAR! (grabs a bunch of random weapons)**

**Cloudsdale: Not quite, but it was a suggestion ;) Thank you for giving me that idea, even if it wasn't intentional. It was fun to put in there though :)**

**darkhuntressxir: Yea, I hate him too and who knows what he's up to :(**

**Blackened Ice: I second that!**

**elex88: call me when you do and I'll be there to help you along with a mob of angry readers ;)  
**

**x0xalexis8: Hopefully not for long :)**

**Guest: Yep, although it is an AU, so naturally yes, it would. And I think I actually might incorporate a taco bell, since Natsu does like hot things :)**


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